HE name Seretse Khama comes
back to the headlines after a long absence, bringing with it memories of the halcyon days of coal nationalisation, food rationing and snook. It is one of those strange quirks of fate that his return to prominence should coincide with a new Labour Government and the political demise of Patrick Gordon Walker, who was prominent in the handling of his exile a decade and more ago. Despite unforgiveable treatment by the British Government in 1950, the new prime minister of Bechuanaland —like many African leaders before him who have been imprisoned or banished by the ‘mother country’— seems unlikely to upset any diplomatic or financial apple-carts. Some of his first statements on taking office last week seem certain to stir up considerable opposition from other emergent African states. At a press conference after his appointment had been made official by the resident British commissioner, Seretse Khama declared that Bechuanaland would continue to trade with South Arfica. Seretse Khama’s friendly attitude has brought him a most unusual distinction from the Verwoerd regime: it has lifted a fifteen-years-old ban on his entering the country.
The Way Forward in South Africa This is the conclusion of a speech he made in support of the Alexander Appeal in the House of Commons on 18th February. HERE had been the belief in recent years that the intransigence of the Verwoerdian regime could be broken down by a short, but intensive struggle on all fronts. To be sure, some leaders had held before the ~ people the prospect of constitutional change by the white supremacy government under pressure from imperialism. To both beliefs there has emerged a negative answer. The Verwoerd Government, backed by western imperialism, is powerful and has the capacity to conduct a long struggle in defence of the status quo and secondly, imperialism will only intervene to stabilise the situation in order to protect their investments.
This action might well take the character of staving off revolutionary conflagration. It appears that where some organisations sought to coerce the Verwoerd Government to bring about changes by a resort to force, the Government not only suppressed their violent attempts ruthlessly, but in addition, were assisted by Western countries in this suppression. The lessons that we have learnt vis-a-vis imperialism’s intertwining — interest with white supremacy, are being assimilated by our people. The result will be that the struggle for political equality and economic justice is going to be resumed on a_ higher level, taking not only an anti-Verwoerd but an out and out antiimperialism turn, In such a confrontation force will decide the outcome. It is now widely predicted that
by Barney Desai* “chaos and barbarism” will be the outcome of such a revolution. We reject this prophecy. “Chaos” will be the order of the day for the mine owners, industrialists and land barons. The revolution of the oppressed, dispossessed, disenfranchised, non-white chattel, will be its own authority. It is our prophecy that “barbarism” will come from the privileged whites, who are presently arming themselves with modern weapons and poison gases to challenge the ideas that are ripe for South Africa. * President of the South African Coloured Peoples Congress and former Cape Town City Councillor. This important speech is being published as a whole. We shall advise readers how they can obtain the full speech when avaliable, iis
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March 10, 1965 — THE WEEK